Tuesday, July 17, 2012

In delving into the realm of eBooks,
I have learned a lot about eBook files. One thing that is surprising to some is
that, even if you don't own an eBook Reader, you can still enjoy eBook books.
There are a couple of ways of doing this:

You can read books on your computer. Kindle, Adobe,
and even Apple have FREE programs for PC and/or MAC computers that can be
downloaded and installed so that their eBook files can be enjoyed on a
computer. Of course, the Apple program won't work on a PC.

You can read books on your Apple or Android cell
phone or tablet by downloading an appropriate application (app). The
iPhone eReading app is called Stanza. Android phones and tablets use
either the popular Aldiko or Word Player eReading apps. iPads come with a
built-in eBook reader and access to the Apple iBookstore.

Various applications and programs
use different file types and some of these require special programs to be able
to read the book file. Some files are specific to a particular eReader brand.

1.Kindle
only uses MOBI files. When you buy from Amazon, who make the Kindle, MOBIs are
the files you download. However, MOBIs are often available through other eBook
sites as well. Smashwords, for instance, has MOBI files for the eBooks there.

2.The
Kobo uses EPUB files. Older Kobo's use an older file type, but that file type
isn't available any longer.

3.Most
readers recognize EPUB files and usually they can also see most of the other
file types, except MOBI. Adobe has a reading program called Adobe Digital
Editions, which is for reading EPUB files on a computer.

4.Other
file types that most eReaders can interpret are TXT, PDF, RTF, PDB, LRF. These
are also able to be seen by a computer, along with HTML and JavaScript formats.

I chose to publish through
Smashwords.com for two reasons:

because, they distribute to many different companies,
including Apple iBookstore, Barnes & Noble, Sony, Kobo, Diesel, and
Baker & Taylor (Blio.com e-reading app and the Axis360 platform for
public libraries). My books must be accepted into the Premium Catalogue
before they will be distributed to these retailers.

·Why does Smashwords not distribute to Amazon?
They do, but Amazon will only accept so many books from them, so they do not
list them as a full eBook distribution site. Which is why I have made my books
available at Amazon as well by uploading them there.

because any eBooks that are published on
Smashwords.com are published in muti-format (as above) so that the author
reaches as many book lovers as possible. After all, the main idea behind
publishing your works is to gain readership, whether you are selling or
giving your books away.

So even if you don't have an eBook
reader, you can still enjoy eBooks on your computer, cell phone or tablet. You
may need to download one of the reader programs (Kindle or Adobe Digital
Editions) to enjoy the books the way they were meant to be seen, but you can
also download them as PDF files and read them using Adobe Reader, which comes
free on most PC computers. If it doesn't, you can download it at Adobe Reader.
Click the links if you are online and you will be taken to the appropriate site
for downloading.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Well, I have now uploaded my novels to Amazon and been accepted! This makes me really happy because it means I have got the formatting right. The formatting is the hardest to get right. LOL Yes, writing takes time, but formatting has to be done in exactly the right way or your eBooks get rejected. So it makes me really happy to have passed Amazon's scrutiny. I'm still under review at Smashwords for their Premium Catalogue, but if Amazon has accepted the books, then I imagine Smashwords will as well. *whew*

The Amazon site does not allow me to put free books onto it, so the first book in this series has a price attached to it. If you'd like to download "The Beginning", I would suggest you do so at the Smashwords site. They have files for Kindle as well as for all of the other eBook readers, so you're good there.

Also, if you enjoy "The Beginning", you can have a look at the other books and then if you like them and would like to purchase them, I have a 50% coupon for "The Trouble with Dreams" that is good until the end of July. Let me know by email and I'll get a coupon to you. (junevollans@yahoo.com)

Friday, July 13, 2012

I am so pumped right now! I finished formatting three books this morning and have now got two of them published! The third one seems to be giving me trouble and I'm not sure why. But two are done. Yippee!!

I'll be keeping this blog updated as I go along. I still have to get book 2 of the Phaon and Mariah series uploaded and then have to work on the formatting of the first book in my Ebba Lytle series. Then it's on to finish book 3 of the Phaon and Mariah series... and book 2 of the Ebba Lytle series. Then to finish up Ebba Lytle (it's a 3 book series). Then write books 4 and 5 of the Phaon and Mariah series. *whew* I wonder... should I work on my poetry and publish that too? *hm* Something to consider for sure.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

I am so close now to publishing the first two novels in my Phaon and Mariah series! It should be finished in the next day or two. I have finished writing a prequel to the series, which is a short story about Phaon, Gruffydd, and Lowenhard just before they meet Mariah. I only need a cover for that and then I can publish it as well as the first novel of the series. I'm in the throes of formatting the second book, which will take me a day or two... so by the time I am ready to publish I should be able to upload three books! I am so happy! I have been reading several books from the Smashwords site that tell me how to market once I'm published. It's a lot of work but it will be worth it if I can get the book out there. One of my "assignments" is to work on this blog at least once a week. Another is to join a few authors forums. I'm feeling good about all of this, like I'm actually getting somewhere with this part of my life. Onward and upward! :)

About Me

Friendly, accepting of others, intelligent, and very relaxed in life... that's me.

What do I do in retirement? Mostly I play. I play computer games (I like city builders and non-combatant types). I play at cooking and baking (we eat low carb, so I enjoy revamping recipes). I play at loom knitting (scarves and hats mostly). I play at writing (but not much the past couple of years). I play at housework (which means I put it off until necessary to do).

Retirement can be very good and very bad all at the same time. Aches and
pains are part of normal life. Does it mean I live stress-free? Not in
the least. The stresses are just different. But I enjoy retirement
despite the aches and pains and stresses of getting older... because I have a freedom that I have
never had before. Freedom to choose to do or not to do.

Retirement means that I can stay up as late as I want and then sleep in as late as I need to. It also means that every little thing that happened to my body when I was young has come back to haunt me with a vengeance. It means that I can work on things as I want, that I do not have to do anything quickly... which is a good thing, considering that my body determines how quickly that I can accomplish anything! It means that no one tells me when to get up, when to eat, when to sleep, or when I can play. The only time I have to be somewhere at a certain time is when I have an appointment.... usually with my doctor. Retirement is freedom... with restrictions. My motto these days is "There's always tomorrow... and if there ain't, it don't matter." I love it!